- City2Surf is the world’s biggest fun run, with over 80,000 runners hitting Sydney’s streets every August.
- It’s 14km of pure Sydney energy, from the CBD to Bondi, via the brutal-but-iconic Heartbreak Hill.
- This year’s race kicks off 10 August and is open to runners of all shapes, speeds and costume choices.
When I first landed in Australia three years ago, my so-called running career was just starting to find its legs. Like most people, I picked it up during lockdown. Gyms across Europe were shut, I was going soft around the edges, and I needed an excuse to get moving (and, let’s be honest, breathe something other than recycled apartment air).
But running through the cobbled streets of Amsterdam, while charming in theory, was cold, wet, and a near-constant game of dodging cyclists, stoners and sideways rain. So when I finally hit the streets of Sydney, it felt like a new kind of runner’s high. Warmer, sunnier, and with beach views.
It’s since become an obsession – a non-negotiable. I look forward to the weekends when I can lace up and hit the pavement early on a Saturday morning. Of course, it’s good to clear your head. But it’s also the community, the rhythm. At times, it can be about chasing something. A new PB. A sunrise over the harbour. And no race captures that feeling quite like City2Surf.
Part of the IRONMAN Australia family, City2Surf is the biggest fun run in the country – it’s a rite of passage for many Sydneysiders and Expats like myself, whether you’re a seasoned run clubber or just starting out.
First held in 1971, it was modelled on San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers and quickly took on a life of its own. What started with just over 2,000 runners has now grown into a 14km street party with more than 80,000 participants pounding the pavement from Hyde Park to Bondi Beach.
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But beyond the numbers and the sweaty finish line with thousands of us cramming into Bondi first thing in the morning, City2Surf is about community. It’s a celebration of Sydney at its most open and unfiltered: from serious athletes to barefoot kids, tutu-wearing fundraisers to shirtless blokes in war paint. And there’s always that one guy running in a fridge costume.
The route itself is iconic. You start in the city, glide past Potts Point, scale the infamous Heartbreak Hill at kilometre six, then cruise down into North Bondi with the Pacific on your left and thousands cheering from the sidelines. It’s punishing; it’s uplifting; and it certainly helps having that first pint at Beach Road afterwards.
This year’s race kicks off on 10 August, and if you’ve ever flirted with the idea of a fun run, this is the one to commit to. It’ll be my first time, too.
